Turks and Caicos Islands

Central America and Caribbean Grand Turk

Population

60.4K

Area

948 km²

GDP

$1.75B

GDP Per Capita

$33,400

Pop. Density

64/km²

Quick Facts

Currency

$United States dollar(USD)

Calling Code

+1649

Timezone

UTC-04:00

Languages

English

Driving Side

left

Demonym

Turks and Caicos Islander

Background

The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate Crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed, and the islands remain a British overseas territory. Grand Turk Island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Geography17

Location

two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti; note - although the Turks and Caicos Islands do not border the Caribbean Sea, geopolitically they are often designated as being Caribbean

Geographic coordinates

21 45 N, 71 35 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total : 948 sq km
land: 948 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

389 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry

Terrain

low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Elevation

highest point: Blue Hill on Providenciales and Flamingo Hill on East Caicos 48 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

spiny lobster, conch

Land use

agricultural land

1.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 1.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)

forest

11.1% (2023 est.)

other

87.9% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk

Natural hazards

frequent hurricanes

Geography - note

include eight large islands and numerous smaller cays, islets, and reefs; only two of the Caicos Islands and six of the Turks group are inhabited

People & Society28

Population

total: 60,439 (2024 est.)
male: 30,389
female: 30,050

Nationality

noun: none
adjective: none

Ethnic groups

Black 87.6%, White 7.9%, mixed 2.5%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.7% (2006 est.)

Languages

English (official)

Religions

Protestant 72.8% (Baptist 35.8%, Church of God 11.7%, Anglican 10%, Methodist 9.3%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Jehovah's Witness 1.8%, other 14% (2006 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 20.4% (male 6,288/female 6,056)
15-64 years: 73.2% (male 22,232/female 22,011)
65 years and over: 6.4% (2024 est.) (male 1,869/female 1,983)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 36.6 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 27.9 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 8.7 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 11.5 (2024 est.)

Median age

total: 36.6 years (2025 est.)
male: 36.5 years
female: 36.1 years

Population growth rate

1.73% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

12.73 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

3.59 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

8.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk

Urbanization

urban population: 94.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

5,000 GRAND TURK (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 13.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81.3 years (2024 est.)
male: 78.5 years
female: 84.1 years

Total fertility rate

1.7 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.83 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban

urban: 99.2% of population (2022 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 91.8% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 98.8% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.8% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 8.2% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 1.2% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban

urban: 98.8% of population (2022 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 97.7% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 98.7% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 1.2% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 2.3% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

0.4% (2020 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

59.3% (2020 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15: 0% (2020)
women married by age 18: 23.3% (2020)
men married by age 18: 5.1% (2020)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP): 2.9% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 9.8% national budget (2025 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years (2023 est.)
male: 15 years (2023 est.)
female: 14 years (2023 est.)

People - note

destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Bahamas and the US

Government19

Country name

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
abbreviation: TCA
etymology: the Turks Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus, which is native to the islands and appears on the flag and coat of arms; the name Caicos may derive from caya hico, a phrase meaning “string of islands” in the Lucayan (Arawak) language, or from the Spanish word cayo, meaning "rock"

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Capital

name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
etymology: named after Sir Francis COCKBURN, who served as governor of the Bahamas from 1837 to 1844

Legal system

mixed system of English common law and civil law

Constitution

history: several previous; latest signed 7 August 2012, effective 15 October 2012 (The Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011)

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Dileeni Daniel-SELVARATNAM (since 29 June 2023)
head of government: Premier Washington MISICK (since 19 February 2021)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor from among members of the House of Assembly
election/appointment process: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the governor appoints the leader of the majority party as the premier

Legislative branch

legislature name

House of Assembly

legislative structure

unicameral

number of seats

21 (directly elected or appointed)

electoral system

mixed

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

4 years

most recent election date

2/07/2025

parties elected and seats per party

PNP (16); PDM (2); independents (1)

percentage of women in chamber

27.3%

expected date of next election

2029

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and other judges, as determined by the governor); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Appeals Court judges appointed by the governor in accordance with the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body of high-level judicial officials; Supreme Court judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65, but terms can be extended to age 70; Appeals Court judge tenure determined by individual terms of appointment
subordinate courts: magistrates' courts

Political parties

People's Democratic Movement or PDM
Progressive National Party or PNP

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag

description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the right half of the flag; the shield is yellow and displays a conch shell, a spiny lobster, and Turk's cap cactus

National symbol(s)

conch shell, Turk's cap cactus

National anthem(s)

title: "God Save the King"
lyrics/music: unknown
history: official anthem, as a UK overseas territory

Economy20

Economic overview

British Caribbean island territorial economy; GDP and its tourism industry hit hard by COVID-19 disruptions; major biodiversity locale; US dollar user; fossil fuel dependent; negative trade balance; increasing unemployment

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $1.554 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $1.471 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $1.293 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2024: 5.6% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 13.7% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 14.1% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024: $33,400 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $31,800 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $28,200 (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.745 billion (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 8.5% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021: 5% (2021 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020: 2.3% (2020 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 0.4% (2024 est.)
industry: 9.3% (2024 est.)
services: 72.6% (2024 est.)

Agricultural products

corn, beans, cassava (manioc, tapioca), citrus fruits; fish

Industries

tourism, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate

9% (2024 est.)

Remittances

Remittances 2023: 0% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 0% of GDP (2021 est.)

Budget

revenues: $247.3 million (2017 est.)
expenditures: $224.3 million (2017 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2018: $172.709 million (2018 est.)
Current account balance 2017: $35.016 million (2017 est.)
Current account balance 2016: $247.081 million (2016 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018: $826.824 million (2018 est.)
Exports 2017: $602.581 million (2017 est.)
Exports 2016: $741.173 million (2016 est.)

Exports - partners

Gabon 27%, USA 25%, Zimbabwe 17%, Czechia 8%, UAE 3% (2023)

Exports - commodities

plastics, shellfish, carbonates, tobacco, garments (2023)

Imports

Imports 2018: $544.219 million (2018 est.)
Imports 2017: $484.842 million (2017 est.)
Imports 2016: $438.041 million (2016 est.)

Imports - partners

USA 73%, Dominican Republic 4%, Italy 3%, Japan 3%, China 2% (2023)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, cars, aluminum structures, furniture, plastic products (2023)

Exchange rates

the US dollar is used

Energy4

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 99.9% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 100%
electrification - rural areas: 100%

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 94,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 252.088 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 12.912 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 98.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption: 3,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Communications5

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 4,000 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 25,085 (2004 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2004 est.)

Broadcast media

no local terrestrial TV stations; broadcasts from the Bahamas, multi-channel cable, and satellite TV available; state-run radio network operates alongside private broadcasters, with a total of about 15 stations